A little while ago, I felt called to silence. The only problem was I have been so incredibly and insanely busy that I didn’t think silence was actually possible. So I found myself in a bit of a pickle.
But not actually.
Truth was, there were plenty of opportunities to be silent. I just didn’t want to give those moments up to silence.
First, there was the morning drive to my office in Buffalo. And then the drive home from Buffalo.
I started with the drive to.
I decided to drive to the office in silence. 80-90 minutes. No music. No podcasts. No phone calls. Just silence. Deafening, uncomfortable, eternal silence.
Well… at least it seemed to be at first.
Then a strange thing happened. Thoughts came. Thoughts I wasn’t expecting. Thoughts that kind of just “appeared” in the car with me.
Gently. Quietly. Sweetly. Like a whisper.
Thoughts that seemed to answer questions I had previously asked. Thoughts that gave comfort to my fears. Thoughts that inspired me and guided me and put things into perspective. Thoughts that poured love and life into me. Thoughts that set me up for my day in a way that no podcast or playlist ever could.
Gently. Quietly. Sweetly. Like a whisper.
And that’s when I realized. These weren’t “thoughts.”These were words from on-high being spoken over me. Breathed out into me. It was power.
Then a “stranger” thing happened. I started to hear the whisper throughout the day, too. Not just in the car.
A whisper in the busyness. Gently. Quietly. Sweetly.
A familiar voice blessing my day, my work, my relationships. I started to recognize the difference between these “thoughts” and the “other” thoughts.
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life…” (John 10:27-28)
That's when I started to choose silence on the drive home from the office, too. That’s when I started to come home filled and ready to pour love and life into my family.
Gently. Quietly. Sweetly. Like a whisper.
Sure, I still love a good podcast. And dang, y’all, I love Chris Stapleton cranked. But, nowadays, I know when I need a good whisper and it’s no longer uncomfortable.
Thanks be to God I think that means I’m growing… in silence.